


To Live & Fight Sorrow

by psytronix



Category: Final Fantasy X
Genre: Genderbending, Harems
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:27:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28193190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/psytronix/pseuds/psytronix
Summary: "Destroy Sin, and my daughter's obsession with it." - words Tidus did NOT like hearing. Especially after being dropped from his home town!
Kudos: 3





	To Live & Fight Sorrow

" _You are sure?"_

Zanarkand - destroyed. Auron pulled him out, just in the nick of time. But… Auron - _she_ \- looked different. Had said something about the lasting effects of his father's actions. There was a big, blinding flash before he was swallowed by darkness. Then nothing. He was awake, he thought - hearing the skittering and _moving_ and writhing sounds around him, not truly knowing where they came from.

And then there was the fall. Light, however dim it was, and real, breathable air. As he was unceremoniously dumped onto Baaj's front dock, Tidus screamed. His body locked up as he clenched his jaw, preventing him from doing further damage to himself. Harsh, biting winds smashed rain into the Temple he'd been thrown at.

"Damn it! Ugh… Ah… God, it's bad, it'sbadit'sbad-" He exclaimed, trying simply to breathe properly. He gazed down at where the majority of his pain was throbbing from.

"Ohh… S-Somebody! H-h-help! _Please_!"

He heard footsteps rush out from behind him, tens of Guado mages and priestesses spewing from the temple's mouth. Even with pain wracking through his body, he could stare in awe at the size of the bloated spire, now doubly filled with that earlier sense of dread. The gathered group of defenders shot him a gaze, which was quickly snapped back to the hordes behind him.

"B-by Yevon's grace…"

"Sinspawn! Defend the temple!"

' _Sinspawn?'_ he thought, throat locking, eyes darting now to the sword that his father gifted him. The noises were there again. Slowly encroaching. Surrounding.

' _We called it "Sin"…'_

Auron's words rang back in Tidus' mind. His breath was ragged as he stared on at the pouring hordes of Sinscales. There must've been a few hundred of them, falling from Sin's hide like rain from a grey cloud. The gargantuan beast left its young as soon as they hit the water, taking flight away from Baaj.

A swathe of scaled, insect-like monsters scurried and swam to the front doors of Baaj Temple, gibbering and chittering their primal minds away. Tidus whimpered, and turned broken-heel, crawling towards safety. He relied on his upper body to drag himself forward, towards the elf-like people forming ranks.

"H-help! P-Please! _They're coming after me_!"

The Guado forces kept their distance as they began casting black magic – simple fire or thunder spells to incinerate or fry the Sinspawn. The priestesses gathered behind the defending forces concentrated on keeping their mana steady, ensuring a constantly defended position.

The gibbering grew behind Tidus, egging the injured teen on. Adrenaline filtered through his body, aiding him in ignoring the grievous pain in his right leg. Baaj Temple's front door was preceded by a thin, blue stone veil, which Tidus had just managed to crawl through. But as Sinscales fell, their brethren crawled over their remains, substituting two to five more for every one slaughtered.

They were closing in.

"We must save him!" A priestess commanded, casting a protective shell over the man. The mages looked to one another for a brief moment of confusion, before returning to their defence.

"There are simply too many Sinspawn! We can't wipe out enough of them to clear a safe path back!" A Guado girl reasoned, wiping the sweat from her throbbing brow. And soon, they were upon him.

"C'monc'monc'monC'MON, PLEASE!" The young man yelled, the Protect spell surrounding him flickering as its caster maintained her concentration. It became hard to breathe, let alone move, under the piles of scaled bodies that tried to claw and bite at him.

"Kill them, quickly!"

"We can't, he'll be hit with our spells if we miss!"

"Then pray to Yevon that you _don't miss_!"

He could hear the winds cease, and the rain falter, as a mighty ball of fire spawned from beneath a pile of Sinscales behind him.

"Oh my-"

The flames flew outwards as unimaginable heat lit up his lower body. A piercing scream was a clear sign of the Guado's failure.

"Damn it!" A mage scorned herself, forcing herself to stay conscious through her constant spell use.

"It's no use, he's going to die, and even our most powerful spells can't hold the damn things back!"

"We need help from Madam Seymaura!"

There was another brief second of hesitation amidst the gathered Guado forces.

"Navara, summon the Madam, quickly!" A priestess commanded her mage subordinate.

In his last, fading seconds of consciousness, Tidus attempted to protect himself from the ever growing masses of monsters. As the protective spell around him faded, a flash of white appeared before his eyes. And though he couldn't see her, he could feel her regal presence.

What a beautiful sight to die with.

"Feel my pain… Come, Anima!"

(An hour later…)

A beautiful, red fire roared in a quiet dome of the temple.

Two priestesses held their heads in a hymn, facing great statues of past summoners and healers. Lady Yocun's stone frame stood gallantly to the domes right, and her guardian, Lenora, to the domes left. An injured man lay on a lush bedspread, his grunts of pain echoing throughout Baaj's halls. Without a sound, Madam Seymaura appeared behind the man's elderly medical attendant, and scanned him.

"How is he, Gheera?" Seymaura asked. Gheera huffed out a ragged breath and rose up from Tidus' side.

"Healing, M-Madam. He is… Healing," Madam Seymaura gave her Guado attendant a dull look, then nodded, turning her gaze back to the injured man. He groaned, whimpered, and shivered in his sleep, as if squirming under Seymaura's punitive gaze.

Seymaura took a breath, taking in the temple around her with a weary sigh. She was _supposed_ to leave for Guadosalam on the night of Tidus' arrival, but… His condition warranted her care. Now, if he'd been any other person, she would've left him to die at Baaj's gates after her aeon's attack – but this _man_ needed the best care the Guado could afford.

She'd sent word back to Guadosalam after getting Tidus stable, requesting their best medic.

They said no, in a letter back.

With no small amount of disdain, she sent further word back detailing that the survivor was a _male_.

And in only 2 days, the White Mage / Medical Expert Gheera Guado was sent, expediting Tidus' recovery by leaps and bounds.

"I can't believe this… I really can't…" The medic mumbled to herself, being as every bit critical as Seymaura was of the young man.

"I should remind Guadosalam's mayor not to doubt my word." Seymaura commented off-handedly, veiling her threat beneath a flat tone. Gheera didn't take note of said threat, and stretched her tired limbs, groaning deeply.

"Could you blame her, Madam? It's been 10 years since High Summoner Braska defeated Sin, and, since then…" Memories of the Culling Calm replayed themselves in her mind, and she let some silent tears fall.

Many men died on the day of Braska's annihilation of Sin. Whether it was by heart attack, stroke, or even a simple _fall_ , sons and fathers dropped dead as the eldritch beast fell by Braska's hand. In fact, only one man was known to have survived – Braska's Guardian, Auron - though even he was changed by the event, barely spared. Seymaura was no stranger to the event of the Culling Calm – she'd realised soon after her failed Pilgrimage that Sin perpetuated itself upon the Spiral of Death.

While Spira wept, she came to realise that the Culling Calm was just another means to an end – merely a thread in the fabric of the Spiral of Death. Braska's Calm only served to egg on the sad, beaten, and weary – as mothers, daughters, and sisters took up arms to become Summoners and Guardians themselves. They had no idea of knowing that they were merely lambs to slaughter, to appease the unholy armour that was Sin.

' _What a pity…'_ Seymaura thought, feeling her chest constrict as she stared upon the sleeping man's body.

"I suppose not, Gheera. Is he able to speak?"

The elderly Guado woman sighed, and reached for a bucket of hot water, and a cloth, washing her face as she evaluated Tidus.

"I can have him up in 3 hours, Madam. Any shorter, and I can't judge the grade of conversation he'd be able to keep up." The medic joked, a wiry smile sent Seymaura's way. The Summoner laughed a short, hollow laugh.

"So be it, Gheera. Your services have been much appreciated, and will be compensated shortly." The Lady Summoner assured.

"Thank you, Madam." Gheera bowed lowly to her Lady, before resuming her duties.

(3 hours later…)

"Awaken, young sir…" Gheera whispered into the man's ear, her incantation laced with mana. Tidus' eyes snapped open as he attempted to launch himself up from his bed – memories of the swarming Sinspawn entangling his mind.

"-They're coming after me!" He roared, nearly head-butting the Guado mage. She smacked a hand to his chest and channelled the most basic of white magic into his body. The effect was immediate, and TIdus's breathing returned to normal.

His eyes darted back and forth, adjusting to the harsh, warm light of the great fire. He blinked, and caught the gaze of Seymaura. She looked down at him with a grim, straight face, and handed Gheera a vial she was told to hold.

"Drink, child. This will sort your thoughts, make things clearer," she implored, bringing the vial of crystalline liquid to Tidus's lips.

He sipped, and felt his mind clear. _Ah_ , there were his thoughts. The non-scary ones. His eyes travelled across Seymaura, and he nearly _choked_ on the rest of the potion. She was breath-taking, in an alien sort of way. His eyes followed the light blue veins speckled about her upper chest, her stoic face, before landing on her semi-open robe.

Then, Tidus cleared his throat, tearing his eyes away, shifting his legs to hide the tent he was pitching.

"What is your name?" Seymaura asked him, as soon as the drink slithered down his throat - ignoring his dirty gaze.

"T-Tidus," he answered, clutching his aching head, confident in at least his _name_. Gheera turned to the Madam and smiled, sighing with relief.

"I am Lady Seymaura of the Guado, Priestess of Yevon. With me is Gheera Guado; she is the one who nursed you back to health. Tell me, Tidus," she tested the name on her tongue, having not heard it before, "where are you from?"

"Zanarkand… I'm from Zanarkand," he uttered, taking in sharp breaths. Seymaura narrowed her eyes at the lad, her punitive gaze _piercing_ right through him.

"Where are you from?" She asked again. Tidus backed away as Gheera made her way in between them, eyes narrowing at the Madam.

"Are you _dull_? He could still be affected by Sin's toxin - he's in no state to _lie!"_

Seymaura withdrew herself, Tidus recognising a cold fury in her eyes that he'd only seen a few times before. She scared him. And Sin's toxin? Did taking a ride in the beast _poison_ him? He felt _lost_ without Auron's guidance. Just where the _hell_ did he go?

"I-I _am_ from Zanarkand, though, I-"

"Zanarkand has been laid to waste for a thousand years. It is barely even more than a _myth_ to some. Clearly your mind is still addled," Seymaura tore into him, voice as steady as iron, still so cold and _sterile_.

TIdus went to refute, but felt the words cease to be. A thousand years? Had Sin _thrown_ him into the future? All of his friends - not only did _none_ of them make it out alive, but if they _did_ , they'd be six feet under now.

"Th-that can't be true! That's…"

They looked at one another again, and he felt that sadness be overshadowed by _anger._ She wasn't lying. Sin had come, and Sin had _destroyed_ his life. Zanarkand was gone, and he'd been thrown around in time. Seymaura's expression returned from bitter to disinterested, her frown softening.

"Perhaps I should return in the morning," she paused, barely holding back a disappointed sigh, "Gheera, please keep him in your care for the time being. I shall prepare arrangements to bring him to Bevelle."

Without further word, she left their chamber, leaving Tidus alone with his caretaker. She had those same veins, or wood-bark markings across her skin. Deeper, darker, more twisted and gnarled, as if spurred on by age.

"My apologies for Madam's temperament, young sir. It has been long since Baaj has hosted more than priests, and even longer since, well, we've _seen_ a male," Gheera groaned, working on preparing another salve.

There was a brief pause. She stopped her work, staring him in the eyes, curious.

"You _are_ a male, yes-"

"Yes! Yeah, I am," he choked, blushing, shaking his head.

"Sin did that, you know. Wiped out our boys, rendered the few men left sterile - even ended up changing a few… Us mages were worked to the bone trying to solve population issues - developing female-to-female fertilisation magics and whatnot…"

Tidus could've cried. He felt the tears prick at the back of his eyes, but he sighed, steeling himself. This was too real to be a nightmare. Too _present_ and too _painful_ to be a dream.

"Mages? Magic? That… Big thing in the sky… Killed all the men?"

Gheera sighed as she lit a small fire under a beaker, boiling a tincture.

"It'll come back to you in time, Sin's toxin is rarely permanent."

"Please… Believe me when I say I'm from Zanarkand. Maybe not the one you guys know, but… I lived there my whole life. At least, until Sin came along…"

Gheera sighed again, a small smile tugging at her lips. She laid her tired eyes up on the lad.

"We've known it for 3 millenia, magic. It involves the harnessing of pyreflies and unseen mystical energies, in order to create, destroy, and transform things in the world around us. We use it here in conjuring flames for the pyres, candles and torches - and in weather protection from the constant rain here in the temple," she explained, sagely.

Tidus blinked at her.

"Pyreflies?"

Gheera sighed.

_Ieyui, Nobomeno... Renmiri, Yojuyogo... Hasatekanae, Kutamae…_

After a brief history of the world of Spira, his head began to swim. Clearly frustrated, but still patient as anything, Gheera left him to rest. Must've been close to midnight, he thought - though with the darkness and storms surrounding them, he wasn't sure. The Guado's medicine and healing magic soothed him, lulling him into a gentle rest. It wasn't home, and he wasn't sure how long it'd be until he'd _be back home,_ but it was fine otherwise.

Throughout the night he tossed and turned, warmth steady and light dim. A jug of water was sat next to his bed, alongside a block of what appeared to be cheeses, and dried meats. Tidus _swore_ he could've heard footsteps in the night - other priestesses and matrons trying to catch a glimpse of him. He _definitely_ heard a flurry of whispers, cascading down from higher towers, into the low, circular room he was set up in.

Is _that_ what happened to Auron? He- _She_ certainly looked different. Maybe she hid it well on her previous visits? Would the same thing affect him, too? Or would he _die_ in his sleep? These thoughts ate away at his mind until he thought a little too hard, drifting into a deep slumber.

Hours passed. Early morning, still dark. And then, he _heard it._

A voice sung. Angelic. On the brink of tears. Within so few words, it poured out such longing, such _hatred_. It sang a song of mourning, and yet, it _calmed_ Tidus. It put him back to sleep for a few minutes more, until his mind awoke. He knew that tune! It _called_ to him, beckoned him – asked him to find the source.

_Dad?_

It was a tune Jecht had hummed before. Constantly. When his mind wandered - when he idled about. But it was never this good - never this _ethereal_ or _clear_. Or womanly, for that matter. It sounded if it was only getting stronger with every repetition - a ceaseless melodic barrage of melancholy and nostalgia, something that _ensnared_ him, and energised him.

He rose. Very, _very_ shakily did Tidus rise from his bed. He winced, swore under his breath, and bit through the pain, trying not to wake any of his hosts. Through Baaj's sprawling halls Tidus limped, grunting with every step, sucking in harsh breaths wherever the lightning struck and thunder rumbled. For the most part he followed the voice - the dim light from the torches doing naught to guide him.

His hand traced the cold stone walls, shivering every now and again as his finger slipped through the droplets of rain, spitting from a windowsill. In only a few minutes, he found himself in an odd room. Shrines, six of them, it seemed, were lined against either side of this chamber. In front, leading to the centre of the room, was a floating, glowing glyph, tinged purple.

"Magic…" he mumbled to himself, a twinge of wonder shooting past his sorrow, his pain, reminding him of the _new_ and _alien_ world he was now in.

The song was louder. Clearer, only muffled now by a single door - perhaps that glyph? Tidus approached each of the shrines, evaluating the strange, draconic forms each of the statues took on. There were identical glyphs that appeared on approach - hovering, multi-coloured symbols written in a script he was surprised he could _read_.

"Besaid…" he continued, reading more names, "Bevelle, Kilika, Djose, Macalania… Zanarkand?"

The text, the stone gargoyle, set in a mocking expression confirmed just a bit more for him. Zanarkand was old. Old enough to have statues, effigies, ancient scrawlings made about it. Just _how_ had technology regressed to the point he saw? He noticed no vid-screens, no stove-tops, no refrigerators or cold storage, no evidence of any long-range communication devices…

"1000 years…" he repeated, swallowing that lump in his throat, jumping back in shock as all six of the statues _moved_ on their own, sliding back into recesses in the walls. Tidus snapped his gaze back to the entrance to the shrine room, hoping no one would hear the scraping of stone on stone.

He cringed as that sound finally stopped with a horrid _squeak_ , finally flourishing with a twist of sparkling magic. It _twinkled_ in his ears, and his attention went back to the central glyph. It _faded_ , fizzled, before disappearing. A door was left. Sharp and shaped to a point, pointing downwards. _Pink petals_ appeared to be flaking off it.

And _that song._

He began to mouth the words as he approached, placing a hand gently on the door to the next room - perhaps the chambers of the woman who was singing?

" _Ieyui, Nobomeno... Renmiri, Yojuyogo... Hasatekanae, Kutamae…"_

It lifted of its own accord, effortless, rumbling further against the old walls of the temple. And he stepped in, mind awash with that song, that _hymn_ , gasping at the image before him.

It was a woman, yes, but she wasn't really there. Her image flickered, phasing in and out of reality until she appeared _nearly-there_ , transparent. This central chamber was _filled_ with ancient and religious writings - seals, writs and rites, surrounding this ornate display, this _statue_ in front of him. It was brilliantly carved, of a woman facing away - face buried in the ground, surrounded by two blooming petals. A creature was beneath her - something _dark_ , and her arms were twisted - bound at the crest of the statue.

Tidus felt his heart pounding in his chest. The calm of the song conflicted with the _fear_ of this apparition, this _ghost!_ He brought a hand to his chest, yelping as the chamber's door _slammed_ shut behind him.

" _Be at peace, traveller."_

Her true voice, warbled and stressed, put him at ease.

"Who… Who are you?" Tidus asked, trying to drown out that voice - hanging off the next few words of the spectre.

" _I am the spirit of the aeon, Anima. I am… I was, Seymaura's mother."_

He nodded. That thing, that _creature_ he could barely make out, that saved him from the sinspawn? This woman, this impossibly polite and near-perfect looking lady was Seymaura's mother?

Impossible, he thought. Already she seemed _much_ kinder than her daughter.

"...Y-your voice…" he uttered.

" _The hymn, yes… I am sorry to disturb your rest, but… I seek your aide, traveller. You were the one who rode Sin into Spira, yes?"_

Again, he nodded. Well, _ride_ was a stretch of the term, but he didn't _dare_ to quip at this woman.

" _My daughter… I've no doubt that you've met her. Almost 30 years ago, she and I were exiled to this place, spirited away from the rest of Spira. I, a human, and her father, a Guado… Neither of our peoples were kind to one another, and my husband feared a half-breed daughter would tarnish his reputation."_

He swore her voice, her tone changed just a little when she spoke of their father. It became bitter, but did not dwell on that hatred. He sympathised, figuring that good dads were in short supply _everywhere_.

"U-uh… So what did you want from _me_?"

" _Her mind wanders with dangerous thoughts... Chief among them, I believe she seeks to murder he who banished us here. And then…"_

Her voice began to shake with fear. It trembled, and Tidus reciprocated it, feeling his throat clench at the calm air _dissipating_.

" _She seeks to use Sin. To harness it's destructive power to annihilate all life in Spira. To rule as the Lady of the Dead, roaming the wastelands until all life is extinguished."_

"What!? A-all because of her father?"

The spirit shook her head.

" _Because I let her taste the power of my aeon. Only 8 years after our banishment, with my dying breaths, Seymaura and I trekked across Spira on a summoner's pilgrimage, ending our journey at your Zanarkand. We wanted to kill Sin. So that she would have earned the love of all of Spira."_

He was even more confused, but saved his questions, letting her continue.

" _I sacrificed my form so that she may have used me against Sin. But, alone, and without her mother… She escaped Zanarkand. She returned to Baaj, and grew in isolation. With my aeon as her focal point, she began to fixate on it's power, on how to use it to save Spira, in her own twisted ways."_

He could barely even _think_ , let alone bark out a confused response. The being before him appeared sympathetic, her face falling.

" _I know this is hard to take in, and I know I'm asking the world of you… I too, realise that you've barely met my daughter, seen this world, but I still ask this of you. Without your intervention, Seymaura seeks to bring you to Bevelle, no doubt to keep you for her study. Spira's few remaining men are dying, and she will use you as a bargaining chip against the Maester's."_

Ah, of course. That was a logical conclusion he didn't reach. With no men, and what seemed to be a _lot of_ desperate women, who would stop Seymaura from absconding him to some _dungeon_ for the rest of his life? For experimentation, or _worse?_

"What!? I… What in the _damn-_ " he sputtered, head _aching_ , "what do you want me to do? How the _hell_ can I fix this?"

" _Convince her to retake her pilgrimage. I have seen, thought this as the most viable option, traveller."_

"L-look, lady, I don't even _know_ what a pilgrimage is! I-I've only been in this place for a few hours and I've already had my _leg broken_ , and, and…"

He stopped, clutching the sides of his head, taking deep breaths. He could feel that motherly, caring gaze upon him. That loving warmth that assured him all would be well. Something he hadn't felt in _years_. Tidus felt two tears drop from his eyes, staining his cheeks as he got his shaking breath under control.

What did he have to lose? His world was gone, Sin had made sure of that. Why not? Why _not_ destroy the gargantuan creature that seemed to plague this world? What was the use in _sulking_ , if no one he cared about, no one that he _knew_ , was there to hear it?

"I'll… I… I can't promise anything," he muttered, dejected, but hopeful.

" _That you try, is all I ask, traveller. I implore you… Save my daughter. Destroy Sin, and her obsession with it."_

And with that, her image flickered once more, and the door behind him opened. The singing seemed to quiet, not nearly as loud as it was before, and he stepped back out into that shrine hall. Limping back to his bed, _instilled_ with a quiet fury, and a new goal, he slept, caring not if the other Guado heard him.

He didn't sleep well. Seymaura's mother's words had implanted a distrust of the people here. Especially those in power, like the Madam herself. Gheera seemed fine, but he was unsure if she was simply curious in his wellbeing, or his _health_. Tidus kept an ear and an eye open that night, on the lookout for intruders, _stalkers._

(6 hours later…)

He awoke to the cold of morning. A brighter, steel-clouded sky, and the scent of smoking torches were the sights and smells. Blinking his eyes, he threw his legs over the edge of the bed, nearly _jumping_ out of it as he noticed the being in front of him.

The madam. He stopped himself from staring at her brilliant chest this time, ignoring the wreath of wood-like veins travelling across her creamy skin, brain exploding with possible scenarios in which he could convince her to find Sin. To stop her from _killing her own father_.

"Good morning. My… Apologies for my temperament last night. It's rare that a man _survives_ into this decade, let alone-" she spoke, her tone somehow _softer_ than it was last night.

"-Appears from Sin, claiming he's from a ghost-city, I get it," Tidus joked, "well, I _don't_ get it, but, still. It's fine, _m'lady_."

She chuckled. It was a mechanical, easily reproducible chuckle, but a _laugh_ nonetheless.

"Please," she uttered, darting a gaze around for any other Guado, "call me Seymaura. Nomenclature will only waste us precious time."

"In a hurry? You were going to, uh... Bevelle, right?"

She nodded, still smiling at him. A cold wind blew past them, shaking the sheets from Tidus' body. He scrambled to cover up as she strode around the room, sighing.

"Indeed, and I was hoping you'd join me along the way. As we travel, I could teach you more of Spira, and it's people. It is a long path to Bevelle from here."

"So… You believe me now? That I'm from Zanarkand?"

Her smile deepened.

"I believe that you believe it, but… You share the characteristics of a man named Jecht, who passed through these lands some 10 years ago. There's collaborative evidence, you see."

"Jecht!?" Tidus yelped. "He… Jecht was my father's name, and… Well, it's not common-"

Seymaura's piercing gaze shut him up. Her eyes lit with an inquisitive flame, and they paused, both on edge. "Perhaps they're one and the same. Though Jecht disappeared after Sin was defeated, his legacy lives on, and with it, the influence he had on others."

 _Figures,_ Tidus thought. _Even in a different world, my old man's the talk of the town._

"What I'm saying is," Seymaura continued, "Bevelle might share some answers for us both. I can figure out where you come from, definitively, and you can search for your father. Or someone who knows where he is."

She smiled again. Almost _pained_.

Tidus nodded, "just as long as you aren't experimenting on me, or throwing me in some dungeon, I'm happy to head anywhere. S-say, uh… How far away is Kilika from Bevelle?"

She took too long to answer his question. As if caught on his previous words. She didn't deny them - so was the spirit's warning true? The thought made him cringe with fear, with anxiety.

"Ages," the Guado intoned, eyes looking vacant for a second. "Far, far too long away. About 3 months travel time, if you're going by land, foot, and ferry. Otherwise, if you know a trick or two, about a week in the air… Why do you ask?"

_Perfect. Stall her._

"N-No reason," he stammered, "I-I'm looking for a family friend… B-Before I left Zanarkand, she told me to meet her there-"

"-Really? What was her name?"

"A-Auron," Tidus answered, feeling _quite_ small beneath the woman.

She paused, balked, and scoffed, as if he'd reached a genuine bit of humour with her. "Sir Auron… Alright… Only Yevon knows why she'd request a meeting in Kilika of all places, but… We'll make that our next target after Bevelle."

"Right," he rose, testing his leg, preparing to _wince_. He found no pain in it, the limb having healed fully and completely - and gasped, smiling. "So why are you taking me to Bevelle again?"

She froze again, as if not anticipating the question - hoping he'd let it go. "I… To bring you to Spira's top scientific minds and Yevon's highest priests to _evaluate_ your condition-"

"-It's not to keep me locked up, right? Because I'm not going along on this boat ride if that's the case-"

"-Do you see any other choice waiting for you?" she bit back.

Tidus shook his head, scoffing, locking his arms behind his head. "I see the sea, surrounding this place. If you're dragging me out on a boat just so I can be _jailed_ , experimented on, or whatever, then I'll swim."

"You'll be torn apart by fiends," she warned him, eyes darkening - the very air around them thickening with magic's crackle. On cue, two Guado guards entered their chambers, curious, ready to _defend_ their lady if needed.

"Then explain something for me - will you keep me in Bevelle against my free will? What, _specifically_ , will they do to me there? Because if it's what I think it is, then I'd rather risk the fiends," he challenged her, daring for an answer.

"You would rather-" Seymaura's face lit _red_ with ripe anger. "The _gall of_ -"

"You're not answering me! You-"

"I don't _have_ to answer you - we could've let you _die_ on Baaj's entrance," she intoned, voice sapped of anger, void of emotion. Her eyes boiled over with that barely held back fury, and he _swore_ he could have seen the veins flare on her skin. "We did not have to heal you, and yet, here you are, walking around. _Insolent."_

"Then break my leg. Tie me up and keep me gagged if you want! But I think you need me back in Bevelle in one piece, don't you? Your bosses won't appreciate that you damaged something they're looking for."

Seymaura was incredibly close to doing both things Tidus suggested. She thought of silencing him, of hurting him, but stopped herself. He was too masculine to do so, to let slip of Spira's grasp. So she sighed, calming herself.

"Our trip to Bevelle is purely investigatory. Yevon and its scientific minds will run a few tests on you, and will be done within hours. I shall accompany every step of the way to ensure you aren't trapped, traveller. Is this acceptable?"

Tidus thought for a moment which was rare for him. This was a _trap_ , he deduced. Seymaura would close the Bevelle doors on him the second he was strapped to a table, and that would be that. He didn't know if they'd cure him again if he bit his own tongue off, but he put that chilling thought behind him. Being caught in a dungeon, unable to die as experiments were being run on him, _scared_ him to his core.

So as soon as that ship landed on Bevelle's docks, he'd run. By some snowball's chance in hell, he'd try to find Auron. Or a way out of the city. _Screw what that spirit said._

"That is. Thank you," he sighed, faking relief at the priests words. She seemed pleased with herself, if the return to a stoic pose was anything to go by, and she ushered him out of that great temple.

The sun was now shining on the temple without impediment, which Tidus thought might've been rare. More than a few Guado were outside Baaj's entrance, basking in it's glowing rays, whilst others toiled in getting Seymaura's ship up and running. Whipping his head back as they exited the temple's cool interior, Tidus marvelled at its size and colour once more. Shaped like a giant teardrop, surrounded by other structures - it wasn't _the_ most alien design he'd ever seen on a building.

It's coral red shell shone gloriously in the solar sparkle, contrasting it to the choppy, dark seas that surrounded them. Thinking for _one last time_ that he could escape, Tidus thought back on _home_ , which made him sick. There _were_ fiends there, but they were rare, and only appeared at the beach and shore. He'd swum amongst them prior, but… He didn't like his chances.

 _Ah well,_ he thought, he just _prayed_ that Auron knew where he was, and where he was going.

Seymaura led him to the docks, a small offshoot that was half-sinking, and to the boarding zone for their ship. It was a pristine one, ordained with the same symbols that Tidus saw in Baaj's halls previously - those of _Yevon_. Upon its bow was a dragon's head, carved from ancient wood, and on it's stern, fins, which _moved on their own_. It was a mixture of green and pale red, which reflected the licks of light escaping from the water's ripples. It's size left something to be desired, but, Tidus surmised they'd be out of dangerous waters sooner rather than later, clear of choppy tides.

"Come," she implored him, "your belongings have been stowed under the deck. We may need to fend off fiends, so grab your blade and be ready. We leave as soon as we are able."

With a nod, it was only minutes before they set off.

The journey was both faster and smoother than he expected; at least, as far as the ocean was concerned. Two _mages_ , he identified them as, had cast a thin shell over the boat's surface, which allowed it to sail unimpeded by the ripping of the sea's waves. More than once he was yanked down by the collar to wait under the deck by Seymaura, but, eventually Tidus relented and sat adjacent to her, in the hull's _dining area_.

_No idea who'd want to eat fancy on a boat._

"So… M'lady," he cleared his throat, "I'm thinking we should clear the air a bit… You know where I'm from, but I haven't asked you, so…"

"Guadosalam," she answered, "between the Thunder Plains and the Moonflow."

Tidus swallowed, ignoring the pause after she'd finished talking. "Is it… Nice?"

"No," she answered immediately, face falling as she shook her head. "Guadosalam is beautiful, but… It is clouded, in my mind."

"By what?"

"I'd rather not say."

He nodded, sympathy showing in his own fallen face, those distant eyes of his. Tidus took a moment to sync himself with the unnaturally smooth rhythm of the ship's rock, taking deep breaths in and out.

"Do you like Baaj? Th-The temple, I mean."

"No," again, an immediate answer. She _blushed_ at it, and tore her gaze away from him immediately, clearing her throat. "Again, marred by memories, tainted by time. It's only a matter of years before it sinks into the ground, and for good, too."

"Seemed fine when I was there," he mumbled, "but I'll take your word for it. So…"

"Hm?" she made a noise, and for a split second, Tidus' heart skipped a beat. Perhaps she had lapsed in this moment of control, appeared _unguarded_ and human-like, but it made her seem cute, in a way.

It was quickly stripped back once she realised who she was talking to.

"What exactly… Well, what does Yevon do? I know it's a religion, but, are you like a preacher?"

She chuckled again. Whether fake or real, he found it hard to tell. "Yevon was a man who saved Spira from destruction. Now, he is venerated as a god, and his religion is celebrated amongst almost all from Spira's lands. I am a _high priest,_ if you must know."

"Right," he nodded, "weird. Do you like your job, then? Being in service to a religion?"

From her expression, he could tell she thought one thing - ' _that's a loaded question, and you know it'_.

"I… Have not been asked that before… I find satisfaction in it, in serving my people as the commune between them and the heads of our faith, the Maesters. I get to rephrase whatever concerns they may have, relay prayers they feel aren't being answered to my…"

"To…"

She looked back at him, eyes _cold_ again. But smiled, still. "My father, Jyscal Guado."

"Huh," he balked. "So… Do you… Do you _enjoy_ doing what you do?"

"Didn't you just ask me this?"

"Well… There's being satisfied, and there's enjoying what you do. Usually you enjoy something while it's going on, but, satisfaction only comes after. Like, I _enjoy_ Blitzball, but I'm satisfied and _only_ satisfied by workin' out… Y'know?"

There was a pause between them, as the ship raised on a wave, and gently careened back down, sailing smooth.

"No. I don't know."

He groaned, smacking his head on the table. "Never mind," he sputtered.

It was like conversing with a brick wall, he thought. Though, knowing this place, _Spira_ , some walls could probably _talk_ , making her even less interesting than them!

Rising slowly from his seat, he wandered about the ship's hull, witnessing as Seymaura simply _left_ their conversation and dug her head into a sphere, scrolling through its contents. Beneath her was an ancient tome, perhaps one of Yevon. He sighed as he began to wander upwards, to the deck, abandoning all hope of getting to know the Lady.

He'd simply _leave_ her, and that'd be it. Hopefully Auron would have a way back to Zanarkand.

Before he could breach to the skies, to the open waters, he heard the lady clear her throat. They met one another's gaze, and she looked down, before looking back at him.

"If you must know," she sighed, "then _no_. I suppose I don't enjoy what I do. Perhaps I should take a look at some… _Hobbies_ , while we're in Bevelle."

Flabbergasted, Tidus blinked at her. "Sounds… Sounds like a plan. I'll see ya in a bit."

The rest of their journey, after that, was a little less tense.

Just a little.


End file.
